Kellie Finlayson reveals key symptoms before her cancer diagnosis at 25

Kellie Finlayson, wife of AFL star Jeremy Finlayson, has shared the worrying symptoms that led to a life-threatening diagnosis.

Kellie Finlayson, the wife of AFL star Jeremy Finlayson, has shared the worrying symptoms that led to a life-threatening diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer.

Finlayson was diagnosed with bowel cancer when she was 25 years old, only three months after she had given birth to the couple’s only daughter, Sophia, in August of 2021.

She says in the lead-up to the life-changing diagnosis, she experienced severe abdominal pain and constipation, but dismissed them as post-partum symptoms.

“But the one thing that made me nervous was the blood in my stool,” Finlayson said this week.

“I started researching and decided that it must be Crohn’s or irritable bowel syndrome, or even a food intolerance. My partner Jeremy was not convinced, and so I eventually booked into the doctors.”

Kellie Finlayson, wife of AFL star Jeremy Finlayson, has shared a tragic discovery. Picture: Instagram

Finlayson was diagnosed with bowel cancer just weeks after the birth of their daughter. Picture: Instagram

It was then that Finlayson was given the devastating news that she had Stage 3 bowel cancer.

“Twenty-four hours later I was sitting in the surgeon’s office discussing my options, and I remember my head just swimming as it was all happening so fast,” she said.

“After more tests and scans, it became evident that the cancer was tracking up my back, and my diagnosis was changed to Stage 4.”

Finlayson said after months of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and medical appointments, she underwent a final surgery to remove the last of the tumour.

“At one point I was so sick I was in ICU for 12 days straight and was barely able to see my daughter, my partner and my family due to the Covid restrictions,” she said.

“Those 12 days were some of the hardest for me — I constantly felt guilty for not being able to help with Sophia.”

“Twenty-four hours later I was sitting in the surgeon’s office discussing my options,” she said. Picture: Instagram

After her stint in the ICU, Finlayson was told more terrifying news, learning that her cancer may have been there up to four years before her diagnosis.

In July 2022, her scans showed the treatment was successful and she had no tumours left. However, seven lymph nodes still showed microscopic cancer cells.

“They could never say that I was cancer-free and in remission because of these seven lymph nodes, but the surgeon was quite optimistic about my progress, and I felt hopeful for the future,” she said.

But in December 2022, things took a turn once again.

Finlayson began experiencing tightness in the chest and pain, prompting a CT scan that found a large mass in her chest cavity. A surgeon discovered the cancer in her colon has metastasised and spread to her lungs.

Finlayson said she is “at the moment” unsure whether she will undergo more chemo. Picture: Instagram

After undergoing a 12-week chemotherapy treatment plan, Finlayson’s lesion had shrunk considerably. She continued with more chemotherapy out of fear of missing any microscopic traces of cancer.

“Last week (23 May), I did another round of chemotherapy which knocked me around as my body rejected the treatment,” she said.

“As a result, I was admitted to hospital for a night to recover.”

Finlayson says “at the moment” she is unsure whether she will be undergoing more chemotherapy.

“However, over the coming weeks I will be starting targeted radiotherapy for the lesion in my lung,” she said.

“At the time of writing this, I’m happy to say my treatment is working well at this stage, and I am lucky enough to feel pretty good about 80 per cent of the time.”

“I am lucky enough to feel pretty good about 80 per cent of the time,” she said. Picture: Instagram

Finlayson said she believes if she allows cancer to consumer her mind, it’ll be “a hell of a lot harder to overcome the disease”.

“I take every day as it comes and focus on being in the present, the here and now, and enjoying time with my daughter, my husband, and our families and friends,” she said.

Finlayson is not yet cancer-free and her diagnosis is still considered terminal, though scans have indicated her chemotherapy is working “unbelievably well”. She says she wants to use her story to raise awareness for bowel cancer.

The illness is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in Australia. Among Aussies aged 25 to 35, it is the leading cancer killer.

“The more people I can reach with my message the better, because I truly thought cancer, and particularly bowel cancer, was an old person’s disease,” she said.

“I want everyone to know that bowel cancer doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t know or care how old you are. So you have to care.”

She urged everyone, regardless of age, to visit a doctor if they are experiencing symptoms such as:

• Blood in your poo

• Changes in your bowel habits

• Unexplained tiredness or weight loss

• Stomach pains